Cycling differences for marginalized groups and policy design: Case Stockholm

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master_Nummelin_Celeste_2025.pdf (4.27 MB)

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School of Engineering | Master's thesis
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Date

2025-10-22

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Major/Subject

Sustainable Urban Mobility Transitions

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Degree programme

Master's Programme in Urban Mobility

Language

en

Pages

72

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Abstract

This thesis investigates how infrastructure and socio-demographic factors influence cycling patterns among marginalised groups in Stockholm. Despite significant investments in cycling infrastructure and policies aimed at promoting sustainable mobility, disparities are seen in women and marginalised groups cycling less. Drawing on the concept of motility, this research examines the barriers faced by women, people with lower socioeconomic status, immigrants, and other minor-ities and whether the barriers are socio-demographically or infrastructurally charged. Using quantitative data from the Bike2Green project at KTH, which is an EU funded project that has gamified cycling through monetary incentives, the study analyses trip patterns in relation to district-level infrastructure and socio-demographic indexes in a qualitative manner. The findings reveal that marginalised groups face both physical and social barriers to cycling, resulting in unequal access and participation in the different districts of Stockholm. Especially the combination of low socio-demographic and low bikeability indexes point to lesser bike use indicating the importance of both factors when thinking of new policy measures and which areas could benefit most from being prioritized by both soft and hard policies. The thesis concludes with policy recommendations to enhance cycling equity, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions that address both infrastructural and socio-cultural barriers based on the indexes on infrastructure and socio-demographics. By researching cycling within the broader context of social justice and urban planning, this work contributes to finding disparities in cycling patterns among different social groups as well as suggests development for more inclusive and effective sustainable mobility strategies for Stockholm.

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Supervisor

Mladenovic, Milos

Thesis advisor

Magrinya Torner, Fransesc
Söderström, Henrik

Keywords

gender, marginalised groups, cycling, policy, bikeability, equity

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https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202512159216

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[dipl] Insinööritieteiden korkeakoulu / ENG